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It's a common knowledge that in human body, the Head is positioned higher than the Heart. But, why then constant conflict goes on between the two? An interesting and thought provoking issue, isn’t it? So, before anything else, let us first go through the dictionary meaning of Head and Heart:

Head: It is the uppermost or forward most part of the body of a vertebrate, containing the brain and the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and jaws. It also has other meaning as seat of the faculty of reason, intelligence, intellect or mind.

Heart: The chambered muscular organ in vertebrates that pumps blood received from the veins into the arteries, thereby maintaining the flow of blood through the entire circulatory system. The other meaning goes as repository of one's deepest and sincerest feelings and beliefs, the seat of imagination...

So, as the physical position is, the Head always tries to behave like a head which carry its big ego bag on its head. On the other hand, as the general perception goes, the Heart - an innocent, child-like, 24x7 enthusiastic worker, not only pumps blood in the body but also differentiates us from an animal as an entity who has emotions, feelings, expression, compassion etc. तभी तो किसी ने सही कहा है, 'दिल तो बच्चा है जी, ज्यादा सच्चा है जी, प रथोड़ा कच्चा है जी ...

It seems Robert Bulwer-Lytton vindicates this point by saying, "A good heart is better than all the heads in the world' and so this quote by an unknown author, 'In life when you get into trouble, don't get nervous, just close your eyes and listen to your heart; because, the heart may be on the left, but it is always right'.

Now, if it is really so, I am rather tempted to put the question which the Hindi film singer, Mohit Chauhan asks all of us in a beautiful and emotive song from the Hindi film, 'Tanu Weds Manu': कितने दफे दिल ने कहा, दिल की सुनी कितने दफे... !

The authors of "Be the Change" Ed and Deb Shapiro write, "…your heart is so much more than a vessel for romance. It has been described as the king, with the mind as the king's adviser. When faced with a decision, the king may ask his advisers for advice; may even send him out into the world to gather information, but ultimately it is the king that makes the final decision. Even though the advisers do not always agree with the king's decision, the king is invariably right, because the king's view not only sees the bigger picture but is also aware of the needs of others.

In the same way, when faced with a decision or conflict, your mind may come up with numerous, different and quite logical reasons why you should act as it advises, but if you listen to and trust your heart - however illogical or irrational it may seem - it is usually right and you are happier as a result".

Fine! But it is also true that at times the heart takes a position which prima facie doesn’t seem right. Head does try to engage itself in dispassionate analysis to advise the heart to see the reason before taking or not taking a firm stand in such a peculiar situation, but, normally we are found saying, दिल है कि मानता नहीं..., दिल तो पागल है, दिल दीवाना है... and lot more. Everyone comes to such a pass, may be once or more times, travelling through various stages of life.

As such, the simple query here is: can't we think, practise and finally achieve to have almost as a regular and recurring phenomena, wherein both the head and heart agree to work in unison, more so, when one is confronted with a seemingly insurmountable problem in life?

Definitely yes! Of course, by learning and mastering the unique art as it involves our two most sensitive and important organs. Many past and present luminaries world over could do this and consequently could achieve historically brilliant feats and enjoy their life immensely as well which in turn substantiate what Nelson Mandela says in these words: "A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination."

This may also be expressed in other words like, 'Keep your head and heart going in the right direction, and you won't have to worry about your feet'. - Unknown

Milan K. Sinha is a freelance writer. He has worked in Banking and Insurance sector for three decades following three years of active writing in various newspapers and magazines. Presently he is engaged in stress management, wellness and awareness activities besides freelance writing.He is located in Patna and can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..